This is the first official Copperfield TV special, introduced by the host Orson Welles and broadcasted on CBS like all the following ones, while the previous year he has been the star and conductor of the ABC special The Magic of ABC (1977), which marked his debut on television. The official title "THE MAGIC OF DAVID COPPERFIELD" is shown through an homonymous book left on a carpet that is framed at the beginning, and also appears in the head of the closing credits. The stars of this special are 7 and the illusions performed are: "Vanishing Silk" (aka "Metamorphosis"), "Card Manipulation", "Date With A Magician" (aka "Divide And Conquer"), "Dancing Cane", "Levitating A Lady", "Carl Ballantine Comedy Magic" (performed by Carl Ballantine), "Psycho Shower Scene", "Dancing Handkerchief", "David Cut In Half Lengthwise", "Orson Welles Mentalism Spot" (performed by Orson Welles) and "Asrah Levitation" (aka "Illusion With Bernadette Peters 'Higher and Higher' ").